First medical school in Egypt founded under Antoine Clot

Background. Antoine Clot, a French medical doctor, was invited by Muhammad Ali, Viceroy of Egypt, to direct the Kasr al-Aini School of Medicine. Clot sailed for Cairo on 24 January 1825 with European doctors. As there was no existing medical care system, he instituted French Army regulations for Egyptian camps. The school began with difficulties, particularly regarding religious objections to dissection, but established the foundation for modern medicine in Egypt.

Establishment and Development. In 1827, a medical school was established and attached to a military hospital in Abu Zaabal. Antoine Clot Bey became the first director. The school and hospital were moved to Qasr El Eyni Street in Cairo in 1837. Clot shaped the hospital and schools for all branches of medical instruction, including facilities for French language study, and instituted the study of anatomy by dissection despite serious religious difficulties.

Legacy and Institutional Evolution. The medical school established by Clot became one of the first in Africa and the Middle East. In 1925, the medical school and Qasr El Eyni Hospital joined Cairo University, becoming part of the Faculty of Medicine. The institution is affiliated with Cairo University and is known as Kasr Alaini or Qasr El Eyni, serving as a research and teaching hospital in Cairo.